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There are many reasons to head to our neighbor to the north for a family ski vacation. Whistler Blackcomb, which is a little over two hours from Vancouver, Canada, offers a longer ski season (November through May), a huge variety of terrain and the added benefit of a favorable exchange rate. The enormous ski resort, boasting two mountains and more than 8,100 acres, doesn't feel daunting though. Whistler Blackcomb is incredibly family friendly and offers above average skiing and amenities for children. My son and I recently enjoyed a few days at Whistler Blackcomb and found this ski resort wonderful and accommodating.

At 3,875 feet, Stratton Mountain is the highest peak in Southern Vermont, and Stratton Mountain Ski Resort boasts 670 acres with 97 downhill trails and five terrain parks! Despite all that vertical gnarliness, 40% of the trails are rated at the novice level, making it one of the top Vermont ski resorts for families. That elevation also means it’s a great East Coast spot for spring skiing, since the season doesn’t end until mid-April. Needless to say, my family was psyched to check out Stratton last week.

Great travel is the holy grail of family time: To see the world, expand our horizons, and experience unforgettable adventures together is everything we want our family time to be, all wrapped into one. That’s the dream anyway. The reality is that planning a big trip can be so daunting you want to throw up your hands and just stay at home. It’s no wonder all-inclusive resorts are so popular, just show up and your hardest decisions concern the buffet.

But there’s no substitute for amazing travel with your kids. If you’re like me you want to pack lots of stuff into your days, but not at the expense of having crabby, exhausted kids. There’s no reason to give up hope of doing the things you want or just sticking to vacations at Disneyland. Finding the perfect balance and knowing a few tricks to planning itineraries that optimize your days will help you have better, more adventurous vacations.

It‘s taken me years of practice to figure out how to plan itineraries that keep everyone happy, expose us to new experiences, and still feel enough like a vacation that I don’t need another one once we get home. The heart of my travel planning comes down to knowing how to balance cultural experiences with kid-friendly fun, while making the logistics as seamless as possible. I’ve boiled my technique down to 10 simple steps that anyone can do to have amazing vacations. If I can turn my grumpy kids into world travelers, you can too.

In spite of what the thermometer may read, the calendar says spring is nearly here. Spring Break is on the horizon and maybe a family vacation is in the cards. If you haven’t yet overdosed on the flaky white stuff, get out and enjoy the deep snowpack with hotel specials in New Hampshire, Vermont or the Hudson Valley. If you’re looking to escape winter’s last grip, there are deals in Mexico, Santa Barbara and the Texas Hill Country. If you enjoy train travel, Amtrak and Eurail are offering price breaks. We've got the scoop all all these deals, plus a sweepstakes to may win a free vacation for four people to Kissimmee, Florida, a gateway to Orlando. Get set to save on your spring travels.

Florida's Gulf Coast offers miles and miles of perfect beaches for family vacations. We love Clearwater, Sanibel Island and Sarasota. We recently visited Naples and have to add it to our list of favorite Gulf Coast towns. Naples, Florida offers families miles of sun-drenched Gulf beaches dusted with powdery white sand and gentle surf. In coastal Florida this is no big deal, but Naples stands apart for its many family-friendly activities in addition to its beautiful beaches. It would be a shame to visit Naples and not exploit its proximity to the Everglades. Be sure and schedule some time to explore and learn about this nearby natural wonderland.

One of my family's favorite special occasion treats is afternoon tea. The combination of delicious sweets, fancy sandwiches, pretty china, and the tradition of an afternoon tea service is something we can all agree on. Despite the gentile settings, children are generally welcome at places that serve afternoon tea. But, when you're talking fancy schmancy eating experiences with kids, it's always good to know where children will be most welcome and which experiences will be the most fun for them. After all, a special occasion should be fun for everyone. We got out and tried a few of the best afternoon tea spots in Boston so we could share the inside scoop with you.

With its storied past with tea, there’s no better place, outside Britain itself, to celebrate with a traditional English afternoon tea than Boston. So, pinkies up! Here are five great places for afternoon tea in Boston.

Those in the know, know Camelback Mountain Resort is the premium ski destination in Pennsylvania's Pocono Mountains. But even if you're a total beginner, or don't ski at all, it offers active families a variety of winter adventures: a large snowtubing park, mountain coaster, 34 ski and snowboard trails and the soon-to-open indoor water park. With so much to do, Camelback is a great winter weekend getaway destination for skiiers and non-skiiers alike.

My family, as all novices to snow sports, recently enjoyed a fun-filled weekend sampling many of Camelback's winter activities. About a two hour drive from both New York City and Philadelphia, Camelback makes for an easy getaway sure to please all levels of winter sports enthusiasts.

When you have kids, it’s inevitable that they will start asking for a dog. They’ll plead and promise they’ll take care of it, but we all know in our hearts that the dog will be ours and that we will end up taking care of and loving it. Our family gave in to the dog plea four years ago and we love our bossy, barky, shaggy beast. The only part we don’t love is having to leave her behind when we go away, whether for work or on a family vacation. But now there's Rover.com.

I originally found out about Rover from a friend who had a great experience and I was looking forward to trying it for myself. Then I learned that, in honor of National Love Your Pet Day (Friday, February 20), Rover is helping pet parents make adorable #RoverGrams and donating $1 for every share to Save-A-Vet, a charity that rescues retired military and law enforcement dogs.

Read on to learn more about the easiest way to find a pet sitter, how to make a funny RoverGram video to help dogs, and get $25 toward your first night of dog sitting with our sponsor Rover.

Welcome to Mommy Poppins Travel

Mommy Poppins has been the ultimate resource for covering NYC, ​ LA, Boston,NJ, Long Island, and Connecticut for families with the inside scoop on all that's cool to do. Now we're covering our travels too. We love to explore destinations with our kids and share our experiences with the same down to earth, mom-to-mom information you've come to expect from us.